Wednesday, January 14, 2015

I’m not sure what the weather has been like where you live,
but in these parts it has been darn cold. I’m not really complaining (well,
maybe just a little…) since I do live in Minnesota and it is January. The thing
is, the cold weather makes me crave a nice comforting, warm casserole.
Something that can serve a crowd, in case we invite a few people over to watch
the game. Something easy, because I don’t want to spend the whole day in the
kitchen. Oh yeah…can we make it lower in calories? I need to drop a few pounds…..
Sound impossible? Meet Red Gold Tomatoes' recipe for Skinny Lasagna!

I was introduced to Red Gold's lasagna recipes last year, when I made their Fresh Harvest Lasagna. It is so easy to make! Seriously, there is no need to boil the lasagna and you don't need to buy that leathery "no boil" stuff, either...just regular lasagna. This year, Red Gold has teamed up with Laura's Lean Beef to create the perfect "Skinny", yet meaty lasagna....and it's just as easy to make. Laura's Lean Beef is a Kentucky based company that produces lean, natural beef from cattle that are humanely raised without hormones and fed a natural diet of grass and grain. Like Red Gold, they are a family run company!

Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1½ cups of
sauce mixture. Arrange 1/3 of noodles on
top of sauce, slightly overlapped. Top
with ½ of cottage cheese, ½ of mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of sauce. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of
noodles and the remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until
noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

So that's it. Really. And even though I usually change at least a half dozen things in any given recipe, this time I left it as it was (except that I couldn't find whole wheat lasagna). Skinny? At about 330 calories per serving, it certainly is. My husband actually preferred the cottage cheese to the ricotta. He had no idea he was eating "Skinny" lasagna.

This year, to celebrate their line of Simple Gourmet Lasagna recipes, Red Gold and Laura's Lean Beef are teaming up to give away six Gourmet Lasagna Party Kits valued at $325 and 750 custom aprons. Simply "like" both Red Gold and Laura's Lean Beef on Facebook, and fill out the form. The sweepstakes will run from January 13 through February 3, so hurry over and throw your hat in the ring!

Monday, January 12, 2015

What kind of recipe would you put together if you had to include bananas, pears, and cinnamon? That was my challenge a couple of months ago when Chiquita® Banana had an awesome 8 week contest going on. I was slightly late to the party since I didn't even think about entering until week 7, but I gave it my all that week and entered at least 4 recipes. Can you even begin to imagine how excited I was when I won the grand prize for week 7?! Yup...here they are and they are healthy to boot: Banana-Pear Chewy Granola Bars!

These are so easy to make and really quite versatile. The mashed bananas, a little honey, and some dried fruit are all of the sweetness the recipe needs. I added some dried cranberries and blueberries, but any dried fruit would work. The flaxseed offers some awesome Omega-3's, but make sure you refrigerate the rest of the bag...those little seeds can spoil if they aren't stored correctly.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both long sides of the
pan. Set aside.

Spread the oats and the almonds on a large baking sheet and
bake for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the oats are just
starting to brown. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in the coconut oil,
honey, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Fold in the flaxseed, pear, cranberries,
blueberries, oats and almonds.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan, packing it down
with a spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until firm and set. Cool in the pan
for 10 minutes. Lift out of pan and continue to cool completely.

Cut into 12 bars.

I finally found a use for the baker's twine!

I've made these several times already, and keep them wrapped in parchment, in the fridge, and at the ready to grab for a quick breakfast or to bring to work as a snack. Not a bad start to some healthier eating, eh?

Be sure to visit the Chiquita® Banana recipe page for some more awesome and healthy banana recipes....everything from smoothies, to banana bread, to...granola bars!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Of course I have every intention of starting those New Year resolutions. Really. Healthier recipes are coming your way...a couple of them, at least. But c'mon. The whole year is looming ahead of us. There is plenty of time. Let's start the New Year right with another Dutch tradition: Appelbeignets!

A few years ago, I hauled out my Fry Baby (circa 1975...no kidding) to make Oliebollen. They are by all accounts a precursor to the modern day doughnut...fried balls of dough studded with raisins or chopped apple and rolled in sugar...all of Holland celebrates with them on New Year's Eve. I found them to be pretty awesome, but deep frying isn't my thing so I put the Fry Baby into storage.

This year, a deal on cooking oil got me to thinking about those Oliebollen and how I've been wanting to try and make their better looking cousin, the Appelbeignet....literally a Dutch Apple Fritter. Out came the Fry Baby...

Just peel, core, and slice a few apples....

I searched around for a good recipe to use and I found several very similar ones. A few use a bottle of ale in the batter, but I didn't have any so I went the way of buttermilk. To brighten things up, I decided to use a little orange zest, but otherwise the batter is pretty straight forward. Simply peel, core and slice some apples...I used a few Honeycrisp....and make a simple batter. Very easy.

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 tablespoon orange zest. Sprinkle over the apples,

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat the egg into the buttermilk and stir in half of the orange zest. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour, stirring until combined. If the batter is too thick, add more buttermilk a teaspoon at a time to thin it out.

Dip the apple slices into the batter, covering completely. Carefully drop two or three slices into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

I couldn't decide if I wanted them rolled in cinnamon-sugar.....

.....or simple sprinkled with powdered sugar. I made them both ways.
What is your New Year tradition?

The Original Dutch Baker

My Heritage

On September 17, 1944, my father, Joost Stapelbroek, was delivering bread by bicycle in the Dutch countryside. He looked up in the sky and to his amazement, he saw the 101st Aireborne Division descending into his Nazi-occupied country to begin Operation Market-Garden and to begin the liberation of Holland. His admiration of those wonderful Screaming Eagles led to his love of all things American and ultimately to his decision to relocate his family to this fabulous country.